This invention relates to shoe cabinets, and more particularly to a cabinet having shoe-holding shelves which can be folded into a closed position within the cabinet.
This application is a substitute of the application filed Apr. 27, 1977 as Ser. No. 791,502.
A wide variety of racks for supporting shoes and similar articles are presently available, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,294,504; 1,198,431; and 1,874,056. Display racks for shoes or packaged goods such as canned foods and the like, are also available, as the rack of U.S. Pat. No. 1,423,417. Such racks, whether designed for storage or display or both, are almost exclusively constructed in the form of hingedly connected bars which can be readily and easily folded into small and compact articles so that they may be readily transported or stored.
A number of such racks, such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 1,198,431, are designed for the transport of shoes from one part of a shoe factory to another. Some are designed with shipping purposes in mind, with retractable portions such that a plurality of racks can be more easily nested together when they are being packed for shipment. Other racks, usable by individuals for holding shoes, flower pots and other articles, can be extended and locked in position when in use to receive the objects and when not in use can be folded up and locked, so as to occupy as small a space as possible.
Cabinets for use in households for the storage of shoes and other compact articles of clothing are also available. Although such cabinets are more practical than the shoe racks for storage purposes, they are at the same time disadvantageous in that shoes stored are not readily accessible. Moreover, shoes stored in such cabinets cannot be efficiently presented for display purposes or for inspection or selection by the individual. Also, shoes stored in conventional cabinets can not be firmly held in paired, side-by-side position, as is desirable.
In sum, none of the above cabinets provides for adequate storage of shoes and at the same time allows for ready access or inspection of the shoes in a desired side-by-side position.